RosaWatts Week 2k18
by mricj
Summary: Collection of ficlets written for RosaWatts Week 2k18. Non-Chronological.
1. Aches and Pains

**A/N: Written for Day 3: Hospital for RosaWatts Week 2k18**

* * *

"Wow, Eva. You do look like crap."

Out of all the proper, right things to say, that was the first thing that popped into his head when he saw her for the first time, the words coming out of Neil's lips before he could stop himself and think about what he was supposed to say to a sick friend. It was the sort of thing that, at this point of their friendship, Eva was used to, the sort of thing that came in one ear and out the other. The sort of thing that she never really minded, not even when they first met, all of those years ago.

The remark, as stupid as it sounded, seemed to do something to improve her mood. From the corner of his eyes, Neil caught her lips curving into a lopsided smile and that was proof enough of that, and, as small as it was, that he considered a victory.

And then, in a heartbeat, the smile was gone again, her eyes closing as she curled in on herself, hoping to feel more comfortable. It didn't seem to be for nothing, though; clearly, she was feeling slightly better now than she was five minutes ago, right after he walked in and before Eva noticed his presence; Neil knew she didn't expect him to stop by.

"Such a charmer," Her voice was hoarse, one of the side effects of coughing non-stop for weeks. Winters had always been rough on both of them, on her, for several different reasons, and the sickness had come out of nowhere, catching Neil and Eva by surprise. They had known each other, had been the best of friends, really, for as long as he could remember and he never had seen her sick enough to hospitalized. Had never seen her sick at all, honestly, and Neil had no idea how to react under these circumstances. Had no idea where he stood, really, at the moment, "You know exactly how to make a girl feel special."

"That's me, dumpling," There was no way Eva could see it, but Neil couldn't help himself but return the smile as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, unsure of what he was supposed to do, almost as if his feet were suddenly stuck to the ground. A long time had passed since his secrets had been spilled, and since then, their relationship had improved, left unnamed after countless years of the same old familiarity. Now, neither of them knew what to expect, and Neil had no idea where he stood under those circumstances, how much he was allowed to take from it, from her.

He had never been the coming over sort of friend, after all, "Neil Watts, always trying his best."

"Come here," Opening her eyes again, Eva took a good look at him, a puzzled expression taking over her face. It felt like minutes, hours, really, had passed since he heard a sound, since he had heard her at all, and the sudden sound of her voice startled him; and for the first time since walking in, Neil felt like he was allowed to move once again.

Kicking off his shoes, Neil didn't waste any time before climbing on the bed and making himself comfortable as Eva wrapped herself around him, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and breathing his scent in. It wasn't until then that he noticed how exhausted she looked, the faint hospital lights making Eva look paler than she really was. He had never been fond of the thought of getting sick, and it wasn't any different then, but Neil couldn't help but push the thought aside as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"I have to go soon," Arms wrapped around her body, pulling her even closer to him, Neil mumbled against her hair. Curled up around him, it had been the most well-rested and most peaceful he had seen Eva since walking in, and for a moment, Neil wondered if she had listened to him at all, wondered if she had finally fallen asleep.

"I know," She replied under her breath, sleep slowly catching up to her. Both of them knew visiting hours would be over soon, but there wasn't any reason to worry about that. For now, Neil and Eva could have this moment and, for them, it was more than enough.


	2. A Hundred Miles Long

**A/N: Written for Day 2: Music/Singing of RosaWatts Week 2k18.**

* * *

Four hours and a half after Neil and Eva arrive to Catherine Brown's house, she's gone, and both of them start packing as soon as the commotion is over. They have seen it enough times in this line of work, and losing a loved one has never been easy on anyone, and it isn't until then that it feels appropriate to do so, and, soon enough, both of them are done. Neil grabs the machine, and Eva tells them they're sorry for their loss. The oldest of Catherine's daughters has one of the saddest smiles on her face, and the tears don't stop her from thanking them for their services.

And as much as dealing with Catherine has brought more trouble than both of them care to admit, it has also been one of the easiest cases Neil and Eva have worked on in a while, and, for that, they're grateful. Both of them have been working since the previous morning, and are absolutely exhausted at this point. There's a lot of paperwork to catch up on, and, in the end, Neil's sure the bureaucratic side of things is what's going to end up killing them.

"We're far from the office," The exhaustion is still there, settling in her bones, but that doesn't stop Eva from musing to no one in particular but herself, and, from behind her, she hears Neil struggling as he carries the machine, groaning as he approaches the car and sets the machine inside the trunk.

Not only the machine is one of the most expensive and most complex equipments both of them have ever laid their eyes upon, it's also been one of busiest weeks in months and at this point, neither Neil nor Eva can afford having it to be broken. She should be helping him, has the power of helping him, really, but, in the end, decides against it, shaking the thoughts out of her mind as she climbs inside.

There, in the car, it's much warmer, and that alone is much more tempting than watching her partner make a fool out of himself.

"You should get some sleep," Instead, Eva finds herself saying it, hopes she's loud enough and that Neil can hear her. It isn't suggestion no, far from it, but it's up to him to decide what he's going to do on the drive to the office. She doesn't feel like talking, let alone entertaining him, and she doubts Neil's any different.

"_Or ,_" Neil starts as he closes the trunk, and that's enough confirmation for Eva. And, out of nowhere, he's inside the car, climbing on passenger seat and buckling up, and she pretends his sudden presence hasn't startled her, "You could let me drive."

"Not a chance," It isn't the first time Neil touches the subject, and it isn't going to be the last, either, and the more he brings it up, the more Eva starts to sound indifferent. Since the squirrel incident, as Neil starts to call it, she hasn't let him get close to the driver seat, let alone touching the steering wheel - at least, not when she's around him, and Eva doesn't need to look at him to know he's pouting.

Trying to convince Eva Rosalene of doing something she doesn't want to has always been pointless and, yet, Neil never seems to learn.

Silence comes and envelopes both Neil and Eva, and, from there, things are settled between both of them. For as long as Eva can remember, Neil has never been a heavy sleeper, but, this time around, he's half asleep by her side, and she isn't far from it, either. As time passed, Eva has gotten used to the long hours, and more often than not, she doesn't get as exhausted as she used to in the beginning, but there's something about pulling all-nighters, about working with several patients in a roll, something she'll never get used to, no matter how long she's been working for Sigmund.

She focus all her attention and her remaining energy on driving, and throughout the years, music has been one of Eva's best friends. It never fails to distract her as she drives, and soon enough, she's taping her fingers on the steering wheel and humming the lyrics under her breath.

In a roundabout, Eva remembers to use the turn signal, and she's exhausted enough to consider it a victory.

Songs come and go, and Neil manages to bite his tongue and keep his thoughts to himself. She doesn't have the greatest singing voice, but that doesn't stop him from finding her voice almost soothing. That doesn't stop Eva from having the worst taste in music he's ever seen, though, and it isn't until Maroon 5 comes along that it becomes too much, and, from the corner of her eyes, she sees Neil rolling his.

It feels as if a thousand years has passed since then, but Neil's been around since she was a kid, and this, this Eva can deal with.

It isn't until one of Coldplay songs starts playing that it becomes too much, and then, Neil scoffs.

"Shut up," He gets to her, of course he does, and, at that, Neil chuckles. It wouldn't have been Neil if he didn't, and, in the end, Eva sounds more aggressive than she intends. Once calmer, she clears her throat, and finds herself adding, "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"You call it sleeping, I call it beauty sleep."

She lets it go, and that's that. Things are peaceful between them, and there's nothing but them and the sound that comes out of the radio, and Eva almost allows herself to be distracted once again. Now, both of them are half an hour from the office, forty-five minutes from their respective places, and she isn't paying attention to any of it anymore. Not to Neil, on her side, and definitely not to the songs and their lyrics.

The one that comes up next is different, though, and it's one of the only reasons why it manages to grab Eva's attention. It's all about soft melodies, and it's one of the most melancholics things she has ever heard, and the singer's voice doesn't help much, either. She doesn't remember ever listening to it, doesn't remember adding it to her playlist and doesn't remember how the lyrics goes, but, at the same time, it sounds incredibly familiar to her ears.

Short steps, deep breath. Everything is alright . This is how it goes, and Eva can almost hear herself humming to it, swears she's heard it at some point, and as much as she wants to remember, her brain isn't helping much, either.

_When the world is over , it continues, The moon is all we'll see (…)_

Eva doesn't remember the last time she thought about it, about them, and avoids touching on the subject as much as possible, even when it does come up, and, after such an emotional couple of days, it almost feels as if Eva has been punched in the stomach. She decides she's had enough of it, and instead of sitting around to listen to it, her hands move to the radio, searching for the right button so she can skip it. At this point, anything's better than this.

"Aw, this one isn't so bad, dumpling," Neil mumbles, and he almost sounds fond - of her, of the song, Eva doesn't know. Instead of skipping it, his hand meets hers, and before Eva knows it, Neil's batting her hand away.

His touch is light, lighter than Eva remembers it being. She doesn't remember the last time Neil's touched her, and, now, there are calluses all over his hands. It comes from carrying the machine, probably, and, for a moment, Eva wonders how long has it been since Neil's touched her for the sake of showing affection.

Never, probably, and, just like that, it's gone. Soon enough, her hand is back to the wheel, almost as if skipping the song has never been her place, to begin with. Instead, Neil turns up the volume, and appreciates the song for a few seconds before making himself comfortable once again in his seat, closing his eyes as he sighs, finally allowing himself to relax.

Eva takes a look at him, and pretends this isn't the most vulnerable she's ever seen him in ages. Pretends that this isn't, perhaps, the kindest thing he's ever said to her.


	3. A Whole New World

**A/N: Written for Day 6: AU/Crossover of RosaWatts Week 2k18**

* * *

The morning after, soon after Eva and Neil untangle themselves from each other and go on with their days, Eva promises herself she isn't thinking about it. Whatever happens, happens, and there isn't much she can do to change the future, no matter how wrong the timing and all of it is - or not so wrong, after all: both of them had sort of talked about it the night before and, if everything worked out, he'd be moving in with her by the end of the semester and, maybe, things between the three of them wouldn't be so bad after all.

Neil drops her off at the bus station with a kiss and Eva promises to keep in touch, to call him as soon as she makes it home - neither of them had gotten much sleep the night before, and she'd rather use that time to get some of it, before her sleep schedule is all messed up and Eva needs to get back to her normal life.

Said promise of keeping in touch as soon as she can makes Neil's heart feel lighter, but, at the same time, doesn't stop him from missing her all the same and just as much, especially not as the days go by and real life catches up to them, and, at this moment, Neil has never hated time zones as much he hates them now.

Two weeks later, her period still hasn't come and although part of Eva is telling her to relax, telling her everything is going to be alright, the other half is cussing her out for being so stupid and really believing nothing would come out of it. How come Eva, a grown adult, could be so naive? How come Eva, biology class' top student for years in high school, could've been so stupid?

Three days later after it sinks in, she finds herself calling Neil, and, for a moment, he wonders if she hates time zones just as much as him, but instead, reality is completely different: as soon as she hears his voice on the other end, the truth is coming out, almost as if his voice, having him there to comfort her, had been the only thing keeping Eva sane, the only thing keeping her from venting and rambling and admitting it to herself and to him: she's twenty, a couple of years from getting her degree and pregnant, and suddenly, it's almost as if she's stuck in one of her worst nightmares.

(It could've been worse, but the idea of having Neil's child, of growing and nurturing his baby in her belly, is one of the only things keeping her warm at night.)

"_Eevee_," Neil's voice comes through the phone, whispering, really, almost as if he doesn't want anyone but her to listen, and he sounds as sweet as Eva remembers him sounding when he says it. It's a special pet name, she notices, only muttered when he's trying to get her to calm down, only muttered when she needs nothing but reassurance, and for a moment, Eva tries harder to fight against the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "_There's nothing to worry about._

"_You take night classes, watch the baby during the day and I watch the baby during the night ,_" Neil states matter-of-factly, and for a moment she wonders when he had the time to come up with a plan. She wonders if Neil knows what she's about to ask, because, just like that, he finds himself adding, "_After I get home from work, that is._ "

"What about you?" Eva manages to ask through her tears, and she can almost swear she hears him sighing, thinking about the right thing to tell her, and Eva hates how Neil never thinks about himself, how it's always about her, her and her.

"_We'll make it work,_" He continues, avoiding her question altogether, and, for a moment, Eva's thankful Neil isn't there to watch her sobbing and shaking her head. It isn't an answer, and Eva hates it, "_We always do, don't we?_"

That, Eva isn't sure, and suddenly there are visions of how their lives are going to be from now on: Neil working way too much, barely spending any time with his girlfriend and his child, and her barely spending any time with him, both of them losing themselves amidst all the chaos that their lives are about to become.

And yet, the stupid part of her, the hopeful one, can't help but keep telling her that everything is going to be alright, as hard as things are about to become, and maybe, just maybe, both of them can make things work, one way or another, and, in that moment, Eva knows she loves him more than life itself.

Another week comes, and Eva finally has the guts to do it: she takes the pregnancy test, and it comes back as negative and, soon enough, her period also comes.

Turns out Neil has been right along: everything does fall into place, and both of them make it work.


End file.
